ED raids 13 locations linked to illegal construction builders near Mumbai

 (News Agency)-The Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out searches on the premises of the builders involved in an illegal construction racket at 13 locations in the Vasai-Virar area near Mumbai on Wednesday.
The probe agency has recorded an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) based on multiple FIRs, which detail a massive scam involving the illegal construction of 41 residential-cum-commercial buildings on 60 acres of land, originally earmarked for a sewage treatment plant and dumping ground.A case was registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following the FIRs lodged by the Mira-Bhayandar Police Commissionerate.According to ED probe, large-scale illegal construction has been going on in the Vasai-Virar area since 2009. The accused - comprising local builders and their alleged henchmen - forged building approval documents and executed fake agreements for sale to lure unsuspecting buyers.In 2022, the Bombay High Court ordered the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) to demolish the said illegal buildings.The demolition drive, carried out recently, has rendered over 2,500 families homeless, drawing attention to the human cost of unauthorised real estate development.